US utility Xcel seeks solar and storage proposals to replace retiring coal plant

By JP Casey
LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email

US electric utility Xcel Energy has launched a request for proposals (RFP) for solar and battery storage projects to replace its Allen S. King coal-fired power plant in the US state of Minnesota.

Xcel Energy is keen to replace the coal plant with a new 650MW solar project, or ones “that combine solar with energy storage, such as batteries”, as the utility puts it.

The Allen S. King plant has produced electricity since 1958, and through the RFP, Xcel will replace this facility with a renewable project that will contribute to the company’s decarbonisation goals. These targets reducing its carbon emissions by 85% compared to 2005 levels by 2030, and retiring all of its coal-fired power plants by the same year.

The proposed solar project will also have a larger capacity than the soon-to-be retired coal plant, which boasts a capacity of 598MW, as the utility looks to not only replace its fossil fuel capacity with renewables, but increase its total power output.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

To read the full version of this story, visit PV Tech.

Read Next

August 27, 2026
A roundup of large-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) projects being financed, acquired or contracted in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland and Romania. 
August 27, 2026
Solar-plus-storage project, claimed as the first of its kind in Africa to deliver 24/7 renewable electricity, has come online at a copper mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
August 26, 2026
US independent power producers (IPPs) Swift Current Energy and Avantus have secured financing for their pipelines and projects, respectively.
August 26, 2026
DC-coupled solar-plus-storage projects can reduce the time needed for grid connection approval compared with AC-coupled designs.
August 25, 2026
BESS developers who built business cases on assumptions of faster coal plant closures are now absorbing the consequences of that timeline slipping.